PLAGUE OF LIBERALISM ALMOST OVER IN CANADA

Call it a mercy killing. For 17 months, the minority Liberal government of Paul Martin has occupied a rather shaky perch. On Monday, the opposition finally pushed it over the edge. The Conservative, N.D.P. and Bloc combined together late in the evening to finally pass their long awaited non-confidence motion. It sailed through by a vote of 171-133.It means Prime Minister Paul Martin must now go to the Governor General Michaelle Jean on Tuesday and officially dissolve Parliament, calling an election widely expected for either January 16th or January 23rd. The date hasn't even be selected yet, but already the tension in Ottawa is obvious, with all sides taking turns sniping at each other. The Tories, led by Stephen Harper, have already turned down a Liberal demand to apologize for linking the sponsorship scandal with organized crime. And most expect what’s to follow to be equally vicious and nasty. "The Liberal culture of entitlement has been 12 years in the making," N.D.P. Leader Jack Layton complains, referring to the findings of Justice John Gomery in the first report on the sponsorship scandal. "People deserve better than having their tax money end up in the pockets of well-connected Liberals."Believe it or not, the Grits are looking to turn the sponsorship scandal to their advantage.“We're cleaning it up and we're not happy about it either and we're going to be held account and for it, that's fine,” affirms Liberal MP Roy Cullen. There’s often only one or two big issues in any federal election campaign. Expect dozens of them this time. Health care, the environment, taxes and tax cuts, defence and of course ethics in government are just a few of the items voters will be asked to weigh in on. And while it will cost millions of dollars to stage this impromptu vote that few really seem to want over Christmas, most Canadians appear to agree we may well end up exactly where we started – with another minority government, ready to fall in another two years.